Apto Commercial Real Estate Blog

This year promises to be a year of opportunity, and to ensure you win every deal that comes your way, you’re using…the same old spreadsheets.

We feel your pain.

Despite soaring industry technology adoption and the growing understanding that technology, and especially a strong CRM, are essential ingredients to success in today's market, too many brokers are still relying on outdated spreadsheets. We wish every broker could compete on a level playing field, but until that happens we’re here to help brokers of all technology levels.

That’s why we put together a list of 20 shortcuts for brokers still using Microsoft Excel. While these shortcuts won’t transform the technology, they will help you level the playing field. So from navigating efficiently to effectively formatting your cells, use these shortcuts to squeeze the most out of Excel.

Navigation shortcuts

Excel spreadsheets can be big and clunky. That doesn’t make navigating them easy, and while there’s always the mouse and scrollbar, you aren't going to win any races using those. Check out these simple shortcuts and you’ll be flipping through spreadsheets faster than ever before — you can even pretend they’re updating in real time!

Formula shortcuts

Formulas are one of Excel’s most powerful tools. They help you make sense of your data, but only if you can make sense of the formulas first. Use these shortcuts to simplify the process. They won’t segment contacts into call lists for targeted outreach, but they may save you enough time to make an extra prospecting call or two.

Add AutoSum formula: Alt + (PC); Shift + Command + T (Mac)

Edit active cell: F2 (PC); Ctrl + U (Mac)

Show formula builder after typing a function: Ctrl + A (PC & Mac)

Formatting shortcuts

Effective formatting turns unintelligible data into actionable information. If you don’t have a CRM to do that for you, knowing the right shortcuts can be a lifesaver. Whether it’s formatting numbers while building a new model or seamlessly adding the date and time, use these tricks to present your data as effectively as possible.

Show values as percentages: Ctrl + Shift + % (PC & Mac)

Show values as currency: Ctrl + Shift + $ (PC & Mac)

Show values in general number format: Ctrl + Shift + ~ (PC & Mac)

Apply bold formatting: Ctrl + B (PC); Command + B (Mac)

Apply italic formatting: Ctrl + I (PC); Command + I (Mac)

Paste special: Ctrl + Alt + V (PC); Command + Ctrl + V (Mac)

Insert today’s date: Ctrl + ; (PC & Mac)

Insert current time: Ctrl + Shift + : (PC); Command + ; (Mac)

Insert hyperlink: Ctrl + K (PC); Command + K (Mac)

Strikethrough cell: Ctrl + 5 (PC & Mac)

Invest in the ultimate shortcut

The above shortcuts will help you save time, but let’s be honest — there’s only so much you can do with outdated technology.

You can organize prospects on Excel, but can you set up reminders for follow-up, tasks and events? You can with the right CRE tech.

And while you can certainly store data in Excel, that data doesn’t automatically update to the cloud in a way that’s easily accessible across your team. On the other hand, a strong CRM brings your data together in one place across multiple devices.

We hope these 20 Excel shortcuts will help brokers work smarter and win more deals. But if you’re sick of relying on outdated spreadsheets, make 2019 the year you invest in the technology that will push your business forward.